CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's basketball team will open up Big Sky Conference play this weekend as they host the Montana State Bobcats (December 29) and the Montana Grizzlies (December 31).
Last Time Out
The T-Birds wrapped up non-conference play with a tough contest against the USC Trojans out of the Pac-12 Conference, as they fell 91-49.
Andre Adams led the offensive effort with 13 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
Nick Rakocevic led the Trojans with 21 points and Bennie Boatwright scored 18 points and pulled in 10 rebounds.
Non-Conference Recap
Despite ending on a loss, the T-Birds had a very successful non-conference campaign and finished with a record above .500 for the second-straight season. Back-to-back winning seasons is an accomplishment the T-Birds haven't had since making the transition to Division I men's basketball.
After an exhibition victory against Life Pacific, the T-Birds opened non-conference play against West Coast Baptist College where they secured a 109-63 victory.
Following up on their opening night victory, the T-Birds hit the road and knocked off San Jose State out of the Mountain West and Seattle University to improve to 3-0. SUU suffered their first loss of the season in Las Vegas at the hands of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
After knocking off San Diego Christian College at home, the T-Birds hit the road against but ultimately fell to Long Beach State and Central Michigan.
Returning home following the disappointing road trip, the T-Birds knocked off the Pepperdine Waves inside the America First Event Center in overtime to secure a winning record outside of the Big Sky Conference.
State of the Big Sky
With the entire Big Sky Conference moving into league play, five teams will enter the conference slate with a record above .500.
The Hornets of Sacramento state have the best winning percentage, as they went 6-3 in non-conference contests. The reigning champion Montana Grizzlies enter conference play with a 7-4 mark, followed by the T-Birds at 5-4 and the UNC Bears and WSU Wildcats at 6-5.
Northern Colorado's Jordan Davis is the leading scorer in the Big Sky, averaging 24 ppg in his 11 contests. Weber State's Jerrick Harding is second in the league in scoring through nine contests, averaging 21.2 ppg. Montana State's Tyler Hall, who the T-Birds will see on Saturday, is third in the Big Sky in scoring average at 19.1 ppg through 10 contests.
SUU's Cameron Oluyitan ranks fourth in the Big Sky in steals, while Harrison Butler and Andre Adams rank fifth in rebounding and field goal percentage respectively.
Opponent Preview: Montana State (3-7, 0-0 Big Sky)
The Bobcats of Montana State will enter league play with a 3-7 record, following a eventful final two weeks of their non-conference slate.
MSU knocked off North Dakota and Washington State before falling to Denver to enter league play.
Following Hall (19.1) in scoring average is Harald Frey, who averages 12.7 ppg and was named Big Sky Men's Basketball Player of the Week once during the non-conference slate. The duo of Hall and Frey have caused issues for the T-Birds in the past, including combining for 60-plus points in Cedar City last January.
Brian Fish has been the head coach of the Bobcats since the 2014-15 season.
Last Season vs. The Bobcats
The Thunderbirds and Bobcats also faced off for the first time in the first Big Sky Conference game last season, in a contest MSU won 104-99. That contest was Dwayne Morgan's debut with the T-Birds, scoring 15 points. Hall had 36 points in the game for MSU, while Frey had 30.
When the two teams met for the second time in Bozeman, the Bobcats prevailed once again in an even closer contest 69-66. Former T-Bird Jamal Aytes led the T-Birds in scoring with 22 points, finishing 11-of-15 from the field. Hall had 23 for the Bobcats.
Opponent Preview: Montana (7-4)
The defending Big Sky Champions will travel to Cedar City following a matchup with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
The Grizzlies went 2-1 in their final three non-conference contests, knocking off North Dakota State and South Dakota State, separated with a loss to the Arizona Wildcats.
Ahmaad Rorie averages 14.9 ppg for the Griz, and leads the team in assists with 38 total. Michael Oguine is second on the team in scoring through 11 contests, sitting at 14.3 ppg. He also averages 5.6 rebounds per contest.
In the midst of his fifth season with Montana, Travis Decuire led the team to a Big Sky regular season and tournament title in 2017-18, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also Big Sky and NABC District 6 Coach of the Year following the team's performance.
Last Season vs. The Grizzlies
Both contests the T-Birds and Griz played in 2017-18 went to the eventual Big Sky Champions.
The first game went to Montana 79-49 in Cedar City, as Rorie finished with 20 points to lead the opposition. Morgan had 22 points to lead the way for the Grizzlies.
In Montana the Grizzlies secured a 71-47 win behind 22 points from Michael Oguine and another 21 from Rorie. Aytes had 15 for the T-Birds.
Words From Todd Simon
On finishing the non-conference with a winning record...
"For having three home games in non-conference and to come out of it with a winning record is a huge accomplishment for our guys, and I think it has prepared us for Big Sky play and that's what you want," SUU head coach Todd Simon said.
On the Big Sky overall…
"The league is going to be challenging and it's going to be a dog fight," he said. "This year playing 20 games and the new compacted schedule with really no byes is going to be a test of our endurance. We're going to need to stay healthy and bring it every night because the league is very good top to bottom."
On matching up with MSU after two close contests last season…
"They're a very talented team with a lot of talent back from last year," he said. "They have two of the best guards in the league, they can beat anybody on any given night and we've got to do a great job defensively for us to have success in that game."
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m. MT against Montana State on Saturday and 6:30 p.m. MT on Monday against Montana.
Live streams for all of Southern Utah's home contests and Big Sky Conference matchups will be available on the PlutoTV App and WatchBigSky.com.
A link to livestats will be available at www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff.
KSUB 590 AM is you home for Thunderbird men's basketball home games all season long, with Legendary broadcaster Art Challis on the call.
Follow Us
Follow the Thunderbirds all season @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
Tickets
Individual game tickets for the 2018-19 Season are available at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
